Passengers endured a three-hour nightmare at Thakurganj station in Kishanganj, Bihar, when the loco pilot simply walked away from his DMU train after clocking out. The Malda-Siliguri service, already delayed, became a symbol of railway mismanagement, infuriating daily wage earners and business travelers aboard.
Scheduled for a 6:35 AM start from Malda, train 75719 chugged into Thakurganj at 2:52 PMâthree hours behind schedule. The pilot’s shift had just ended after nine grueling hours. Unwilling to violate safety protocols, he parked the train and left, ignoring pleas from the guard and station master.
‘I’ve been warning from Dalkhola,’ the pilot told officials, emphasizing that an on-time run would have avoided the issue. With no immediate substitute available, the train remained stationary, clogging platform 1 and stranding scores of passengers bound for work, markets, and home.
Frustration boiled over as men, women, and children waited in the sweltering heat. A few boarded a subsequent train to Siliguri, but most had no choice but to sit tight. It wasn’t until a relief pilot arrived from Siliguri that the service resumed, around evening time.
Under railway guidelines, pilots cannot exceed 9-10 hours of duty to ensure track safety. The lack of backup at smaller stations like Thakurganj exposed vulnerabilities in the system. Authorities are now reviewing the incident, but for affected passengers, the lesson is clear: delays can turn into full-blown crises without proper planning.